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When employees at Trio Animal Foundation in Chicago rescued a dog named Ellen, they said they couldn’t tell which end was front or back.

“We had to get a treat to see which end lifted up to sniff,” founder of the rescue group, Sue Naiden, wrote on Facebook.

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Naiden said Ellen was found walking as a stray on the South Side of Chicago and was taken to Chicago Animal Care and Control.

After a weeklong stay at CACC, Ellen was transferred into the Trio Animal Foundation's medical and adoption program.

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When Naiden picked Ellen up from the South Side facility, she was a “clump of pungent urine-soaked matted fur” and employees couldn’t tell if she was a male or a female.

“Flies and gnats swarmed around the pup and what appeared to be the dog’s back legs dragged on the floor and left a watery trail… just like a snail,” she wrote.

A day later, the 2-year-old, 8.5-pound pup was taken to a veteran groomer at Mutt Hutt who came to work early to see what she could do to help.

The grooming process took an hour and a half and at least 2 pounds of fur was shaved away.

“The amount of grooming tools that [the groomer] had to use to break through the hard shell of fur was unbelievable,” Naiden wrote. “The first time that she could feel the touch of my hand on her newly shaven back… She looked me in the eyes and it was as if she was saying thank you… Her past abuse was literally being shaved away.”

After her shave, Ellen was given a bath, another trim and was taken to the vet where should went through some tests and received vaccinations.

She is currently in a foster home awaiting a clean bill of health and will soon be available for adoption.

Those interested in adopting Ellen can fill out an adoption application here.